Summer is upon us, and for the long-haul BBQ sessions, I prefer a low ABV beer that holds its own in terms of taste and flavour, but does not put me into a coma. Pils, Helles, Kølsh(ish), or even a session ipa would do the job quite fine.
But I do find myself turning to the English style bitter time and time again.
Malty, a little sweet, but with a yeast driven fruity character. Hops with a touch of earth and spice just seems to hit the sweet ( quite literally) spot. For a boost in the spiciness, I have a small addition of rye malt. Caution is really the way to go, as its very easy to go overboard, but it adds to a unique character.
My go-to yeast is wlp002 as it really makes for a crystal clear beer, and the time "lagering" lets the beer really settle, and the flavours meld together.
Serving wise I really love the Growlerwerks Nitro tap. It just raises this style to the next level.
For a year or two I was experimenting a lot. Not all beers were award winners, and it can equally to a beer recipe very easily go overboard. The last 6-8 months I have stuck to classic beer styles (if New England style Pale ale ever was a classic style) like Bitter, Lager and NE-PA.
At the expense of being a bit boring, but with the benefit of having a beer I really like pretty much guaranteed. Not everything turns out great, and I will write a post on New Zealand hops to that respect, but the success rate has for sure gone up!
Now all I wish for is for the meat in the smoker to go as planned...
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